14

The walls were closing in around them. That’s what Kailie felt. Because they didn’t go to him, Kana reached out to a stranger. She felt like the place was moving closer to them. She was running out of room to breathe, room to think. Why were they just standing there? Technically, they knew who they were dealing with, now. Why stay put, when the goal was to get rid of him?

Because it’s safe here, she thought. It was a rational answer, but emotionally, she wanted to fight this creature. He killed her grandfather and took their friend. How could she not want him gone?

Oh, but I do. It wasn’t that she didn’t, but there was a feeling of strong cement in her feet that made her stay put. Her legs were stiff and she couldn’t feel her toes. Was she wrong to think that way? Were James and Michael thinking the same thing? Having fear, at this point, was nothing if not human. But would she be worried if she didn’t feel that way? When she saw her grandfather’s body cut open, insides spilling out, the smell of metallic red going through her nose, tears of anger came down her face. Taking Stephen, her protector, her new-found friend, was just a bonus. It wasn’t fear that crowded her inner thoughts, though. It wasn’t sadness either. Revenge. That’s all she wanted. But her grandfather always had a saying when it came to revenge.

“Revenge is a deep, dark forest; once you go into it, there are many pathways to choose from. But no matter what you choose, eventually, you will get lost in it. It will carry with it a point of no return. Of darkness.”

It amazed her how she remembered every word he spoke about it. After what Michael told them about Clarice, she wouldn’t have blamed him or Joseph for wanting to go on that path. But Joseph never did. He had too much to lose, he always said.

But now, the walls were getting smaller in Kailie’s view. As much as she wanted to hang on to her grandfather’s words, she couldn’t find a reason, anymore. This had to end, for better, or for worse. Excluding revenge, other lives were at stake. They knew who this “being” was, and any other deaths would be on their shoulders. It was the difference between revenge and justice.

“That phrase you mentioned,” Kailie replied. “We know what that means.”

Miriam looked up at her, eyes wide. They were red and misty, swollen from the salty water they had created.

“I still don’t understand why he wants us, though,” James pointed out. “He has the pendent so he can become stronger now. What more is there to do?”

Kailie nodded. As they spoke of earlier, though, everything was too quick for him; the overshadowing of Stephen, the killing of Joseph, the warning he gave to Miriam, a total stranger. There had to be more to the planning. Why did he spare Kailie and James? After Joseph, he could have killed them, as well, at any time. The hell hounds, the spiders. All warnings. Warnings of what, though? To stay away? Or to brainwash?

“Oh my god,” Kailie whispered. Her face was pale and she covered her mouth with her hand. Shaking her head, she tried knocking the thought away, but it was no use.

Miriam was slowly rocking in her places, her eyes closed, her knees in her hands. Michael was rubbing her back, trying to comfort her, and James just stared at the two of them. He looked so helpless.

“What is it?” James asked. He moved a side of his hair behind him. His nails were chewed, nearly, to the bone.

“He only went for my grandfather because he was the one who literally stepped in his blood. ‘Will writhe for eternity’. That doesn’t always mean killing outright. But he did it, anyway, to show us what he could do.”

James nodded, but had a look of confusion on his face. It was like he was following her, but at the same time, losing her. As much as he knew what he had been told, none of it made sense to him. Maybe he was naïve, or maybe he was just a little uneducated in the matter, but he couldn’t confirm or deny what he didn’t understand.

“I’m sorry, Kailie,” he admitted. “I don’t�"“

“Collecting,” Michael interrupted. He was breathing hard, pointing hard at the table. It reminded Kailie of a time when she got a question right from biology. Doing it just felt… complete, somehow. That’s how Michael looked at that moment. “Collecting and taunting. That’s what he does.”

James wrinkled his nose, nodding. That was the first thing that made any sort of sense, to him. Kana taunted them, including Stephen, before taking control. Unless they did something about his attack, he would be collecting Joseph’s soul, Stephen’s soul, and anyone else he may have hurt.

“You do realize, though, these are all just guesses,” Michael interjected. “I hate to sound negative, but it’s definitely a matter to consider.” He shrugged.

Kailie shook her head. “You’re physical proof that these aren’t just guesses.” He saw that she was pointing near his chest.

“That’s right,” James pointed out. “We’ve all seen it, one way or another. He uses our deepest physical or mental fears against us. The only reason we’re still around is because we’re not blood relatives. Stephen is, though.”

Killing him didn’t have anything to do with relatives, though. Kailie remembered the stories her grandfather had told her. Santa Anna may have been a relative, but anyone could say that phrase: “No estoy asustado de ti. Dejame en paz.”

It’s the only way to force the specific demon out of the host.

“Relatives don’t matter,” she whispered.

“What?” Michael asked.

Kailie’s eyes rose toward Michael. “Yes. He could get into Stephen and his parents because they were relatives of his. But only the ones who stepped in his blood, and beyond, could destroy him.”

Michael’s eyes were close to the size of golf balls. Kailie knew he didn’t want to believe what she was saying, but it was true. They had to take some of Clarice’s words into consideration. Kana was a creature of his word as well, she knew. He made due when he killed her grandfather and took Stephen.

The thunder cracked against their small shelter, making the walls shake. Kailie looked over and saw than an old picture dropped from its holing nail. When she went to pick it up, the floor creaked below her feet. It never did that before, as long as they’ve been there. She could hear trees outside slapping against the glass.

“That’s why he killed Joseph,” James concluded. “The nearest ones to his ‘blood-tainting’ would meet their fates first.”

Besides collecting, though, why didn’t he kill Kailie or James? Killing them off would exonerate him of any responsibility to anyone else. From what she read, however, Kailie found that moving from one form to another was never the simplest task to perform. There could have been a number of reasons why he didn’t move toward her: too weak, fear, or special purpose for them, in particular. He knew Kailie’s name just by looking at her. There had to be a plan in the making when her grandfather was in that hole with Michael. As it turned out, there was. Not just for them, but for him as well. The demon he always feared.

The devil had punished his son, but never killed him. Tit-for-tat exchange with Joseph Hartman and his family was a little too obvious. Kana was smart enough, though, not to reveal his plans to others, including Michael. Either it would be more clues to work out, or he figured they already knew.

“Why are we still here, when our loved ones are gone?” James asked. Kailie had an assumption that he was reading her mind.

Michael shrugged, looking lost for any more words.

In the corner, they heard Miriam clearing her throat. “For the same reason he didn’t kill me: he wants a messenger.” Her eyes were blank and her voice was soft, almost tired. Kailie knew the feeling of wanting nothing more than to sleep. Like this was all a nightmare. She would wake up and her loved ones would still be breathing. Miriam had that very same look. “He is cruel for making innocent people go through this, but we are messengers of this word.”

“He?” James asked.

Miriam pointed at the wall, toward the crucifix. Michael nodded, possibly understanding what she meant. It was a little obvious, Kailie assumed.

We are not divine, though, Kailie thought. We are just simple people from a simple town, getting by with any means necessary.

She didn’t know what they had to offer. It was out of their hands. She certainly didn’t want to put her friend in harm’s way, at least, not without proper purpose. “If you’re going to jump in the lake, you better know how to swim,” Joseph had told her. She never remembered anything advice given to her by her parents, but maybe there was a purpose for that. Maybe when they died, parts of their history died with them. All so she wouldn’t get wrong ideas.

Could that really be part of the connection? She didn’t think so, but she wasn’t there when tragedy hit her family for the first time in her life. Her grandfather had told her everything, and she simply took his word for it. He wouldn’t fudge the truth for her, just to make her feel better. But he didn’t tell her the full truth. At least, not about Stephen. Not about their special situation.

“So what are we supposed to do?” James asked sharply. “Help spread the word that the spawn of Satan is reigning his own terror?” He threw his hands in the air, his voice shaking. Kailie had almost forgotten that it was his mother who was also taken. They may not have gotten along too much, but she was still his mother.

“I think you’re asking the wrong question,” Miriam replied. Her voice was calm, and her face was slowly turning back to an original color. Tears were still going down her face, but she didn’t seem to notice. “I think what you should be asking is, ‘What can we do to stop this reign from happening?’” She winced at “reign” like it was poison. Hairs on her arms were standing up, and she rubbed them in response.

“Is there anything we can do?” Michael wondered. He looked at Kailie, as though expecting the correct answer.

Why look at her, she wondered. She didn’t have all the answers, and even if she did, they were just theories. As much as her grandfather had taught her, she didn’t believe word for word. How to ward the specific demon off had to do with a simple phrase, but that didn’t kill him. Plus, she didn’t want to risk Stephen’s life any more than it already was. Bravery and choosing the lesser of two evils were never easy. She knew that. But more than the people on the planet were at stake right now. Taking a deep breath, Kailie ushered them over to her, so she wouldn’t have to repeat herself.

“I have an idea,” she told them. “But you’re not going to like it.”

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